A Portland-based language agency, Immersion Courses PDX, is offering a month-long language course and educational tour in spain this summer for students ages 14 to 18 who have completed at least one year of high school Spanish. Full story »

I'm an experienced skier who wasn't skiing fast or charging down an expert run in the trees -- my wreck happened in an awkward instant on the edge of an intermediate run. If it happened to me, it can happen to you. Here are the facts: The National Ski Areas Association reports that 48 percent of U.S. skiers and snowboarders wore helmets in the 2008-09 ski season, nearly double the rate from seven years ago. Full story »

Cycle Oregon organizers sent a memo to riders of the 2009 week-long ride detailing the findings of the state health division's report on the Norwalk virus outbreak during the final week of the ride. Full story »

No injuries to report today, but there has been some stomach flu in camp. Take 2,100 people living outdoors, add late summer heat, mix in plenty of food and drink and porta-potties, and some folks are gonna get sick. There are plenty of hand-washing stations around camp outside the potties and at the food tent, but not everybody is... Full story »

I just got back from cruising downtown Grants Pass, which was awash in a horde of hungry, thirsty and restless cyclists eager to hit town after nearly a week on the bike saddle. It wasn't quite like the cattle drive coming to Dodge City -- after all Grants Pass is a bustling city of 33,000 and the Josephine County... Full story »

Something new this year on Cycle Oregon is a bigger effort to reduce the truckloads of trash produced by all these people over seven days. Organizers hired "ZeroHero," a Fort Collins, Colo. company that sets up an elaborate waste recovery plan for large events like this that includes tent-like contraptions with three bins that are spread throughout the tent... Full story »

Grants Pass is a recreation hub centered around the Rogue River, which runs through town as it meanders west to the coast. The weather was perfect for the river -- clear skies, hot and dry. So a lot of riders used their day off to book day trips on jetboats, rafts, kayaks -- there are lots of outfits here... Full story »

Today is "option day," meaning you can ride a 43-mile loop west of town and back or take a day off from the saddle, which is what I and many others are doing. Yes, the logistics are impressive in moving a tent city of 2,100 riders from town to town, but after six days, it gets to be a... Full story »

There are a surprising number of couples and families who ride tandem bikes on Cycle Oregon -- surprising because that's a lot of togetherness for anybody no matter how great your relationship is. I met Steve and Patty Levenber of Sebastapol in Northern California when we were taking a break at a rest stop on today's route. If Cycle... Full story »

I caught up with Oregon State Trooper Peggy Bishop in the middle to today's ride. She is one of four motorcycle troopers who volunteer for the Cycle Oregon safety escort, patrolling back and forth on the route from the time the first riders depart at dawn to the last riders finishing after 6 p.m. . Unlike Wednesday, today's ride... Full story »

On I-5, Glendale is a short hop south to Grants Pass. But we've ridden the freeway on the first and fourth day of this trip, so today was a break from the bustle and traffic. We took the scenic route, rolling through Azalea, Quines Creek, Galesville Reservoir, up and over Goolaway Gap, down to Wimer, met up again with... Full story »

There have been some memorable ODS-sponsored food and rest stops along the ride this week, but the folks at Heaven on Earth Restaurant and Bakery off Interstate 5 north of Glendale take the cake for their splendid hospitality and tasty array of goodies this morning. They turned their parking lot into an outdoor feast of cinnamon rolls the size... Full story »